UFC News - Page 735

Do you have a hot MMA story or news item that you have found and would like to share?
Then read our guidelines then post it to our MMA News Share Forum to have it display here for the community to read on this page.

According to a source close to one of the fighters, Nick Osipczak is expected to face Matthew Riddle at UFC 105 in England in November. Osipczak appeared on TUF 9 then beat Frank Lester at the finale to secure a UFC contract.

UFC 105 may have found its main event.
FanHouse has learned that the UFC is looking to book a middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson for the Nov. 14 show at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England. As of Thursday afternoon, though, official bout agreements had yet to be finalized.

We're less than a week away from the start of Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, and in a commercial to promote the show, UFC President Dana White makes a strong claim: "In UFC history, I don't think our heavyweight division has ever been as exciting as it is now."
The purpose of this commercial is to hype the Ultimate Fighter cast members as beefing up that already exciting heavyweight division, but I'm more interested in what White said about the division as it stands right now.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir is set to return to the Octagon to face French striker Cheick Kongo. Sources close to the situation confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Thursday that the fight is verbally agreed to, but bout agreements have not been signed.
Though recent reports suggested the bout could headline UFC 105 in Manchester, England, MMAWeekly.com sources indicated that it would take place on Dec. 12 at UFC 107 in Memphis, Tenn.

Firstly, you’re scheduled to compete in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 19 against Roger Heurta. How has your camp been, and how are you feeling in the run up to the fight?
Maynard - I feel great!! Camp has been good, I train year round though. So I feel prepared.

Infamous street fighter turned mixed martial artist Kimbo Slice talked exclusively to our editor Matt Freeman earlier today regarding his time in the house and what he had hoped to achieve through appearing in the reality series.
Despite public perceptions, Kimbo (real name Kevin Ferguson) is an intelligent athlete who is dedicated to doing as well as possible in the fighting arena and the challenge was his main motivation. Dana White's open invitation for Ferguson to enter the house was taken on for the calibre of opponents available, not to silence White.

Tito Ortiz is a 205-pound man, and Cristiane "Cris Cyborg" Santos is a 145-pound woman, but as Ortiz recovers from back surgery and prepares to return to the UFC, he says rolling on the mats with Cyborg has been a part of working his way back into the Octagon.

As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas – including the fight cards. With the superfight between former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort already signed, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to put on a record 13 fights for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort, which is presented by Tequila Cazadores, live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 19.

ESPN.com's "Inside MMA" host Jon Anik reported today on his Twitter account that a Dec. 5 bout between Frankie Edgar (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Kurt Pellegrino (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is currently in the works.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed with sources close to the event that both fighters have agreed to the contest.
The lightweight bout is expected to take place at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

In an interview with Affliction, Antônio Nogueira discussed his last fight, training, and the future.
When talking about his legendary fight with Randy Couture at UFC 102 he said, “The fight was beautiful, it was the fight of the night.”
Speaking of his future plans Nogueira explained, “My main goal is to fight Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title, he’s big but I think I got better skills than him.”

While a promised main event is still lacking for the UFC's next trip to the U.K., the undercard is slowly coming together.
British-based magazine Fighters Only is reporting that a welterweight bout between John Hathaway (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Paul Taylor (10-4-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is in the works for UFC 105 on Nov. 14 in Manchester, England.
According to the report, bout agreements have yet to be signed, though both fighters have agreed to the contest.

Despite previous reports to the contrary, a rumored matchup between Dennis "Superman" Hallman (41-12-2 MMA, 1-3 UFC) and John "Doomsday" Howard (12-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will actually take place at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas.
Initial reports suggested the bout would take place at UFC 106 in November.
Bout agreements have yet to be finalized for the match, though both parties have agreed to the contest.

"Ask any professional fighter and they’re likely to tell you that they’ve never gone into a bout 100-percent healthy.
But every once in a while, when punching someone in the face, and often getting punched back, is your way of earning a living, you do have to take a step back and let your body recover.
That’s exactly where UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin found himself after his last bout. He scored a unanimous decision over a tough Rafael dos Anjos on April 1, but after amassing a 6-2 record against some of the best fighters in the Octagon, his body was telling him it was time for rejuvenation."